Great is our Thankfulness
As we look back on the last year at HELPcare Clinic, we're grateful for so many new and continued blessings.
- For the calling we've been given to serve our neighbors in southeastern Minnesota through membership-based health care that's unhurried, personal and affordable.
- For the 757 neighbors who are active members of HELPcare Clinic: the 472 who were members at this time last year and helped us get started, as well as the 285 who have joined since then. Word-of-mouth and referrals from our current members have been our most important source of new members, and we're grateful so many members have been willing to share their stories publicly on our blog.
- For wonderful medical practitioners who take the time to build relationships with our members: Dr. Dave Strobel, who started the practice and was joined by Nurse Practitioner Stephanie Kimmes 17 months ago and by Physician Assistant Elizabeth Hedlund last February.
- For HELPcare Clinic staff who support those practitioners: office staff who help us create the warm, welcoming "Norman Rockwell" feel for our members, and seven part-time nurses who are full-time moms, as well as a volunteer nurse helping in Rochester. And speaking of Rochester...
- For a second clinic location in Rochester, and for the opportunity to have space at a reasonable cost at Southwest Chiropractic.
- For electronic tools that bring capabilities reminiscent of The Jetsons to HELPcare Clinic, so we can create the "Norman Rockwell meets The Jetsons" experience we envisioned before we started.
- For HELPcare Foundation, the 501(c)(3) non-profit we've established that provides partial scholarships for those who need HELPcare Clinic services but can't afford the full membership dues. We're grateful to have been able to serve 13 new members so far due to Foundation contributions.
- For our relationship with North Risk Partners, which enables us to offer a complete health care solution. HELPcare Clinic provides most of the care most people need for most of their lives, but sometimes people need hospital, emergency department, and specialist care. North Risk Partners offers insurance plans that cover this catastrophic care but with HELPcare embedded inside, and at a much lower cost.
- For relationships we've developed in the business community through the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce and the Business Networking International (BNI) chapter I joined in Rochester. We've made lots of connections through these groups, including with J Kelly & Associates.
- For our relationship with Registered Dietitian Jane Connell, who lives in Camas, Washington and read about HELPcare Clinic in Costco Connections magazine. (By the way, getting a mention in that national magazine last November was a great blessing, too!) As we've gotten to know Jane, it became clear that she'd be the perfect person to lead our new HELPcare Challenge.
- For the launch of our own quarterly publication, HELPcare Herald, which gives us a vehicle to keep members informed of resources available to them and to go into more depth explaining how membership-based health care works. HELPcare Herald also showcases the skills of our designer, Sally Kennedy, who is based in Oregon. Sally ensures that all of our materials have a consistent feel, and meets even our sometimes unrealistic deadlines.
- For Lisa and me, the greatest joy comes from the fact that five of our six (very much grown up) children and three of their spouses have joined us in this calling with HELPcare and HELPcare Clinic and are working alongside us and making important contributions.
As we enjoyed a delightful Thanksgiving feast yesterday with four of the couples and a slight majority of our already-born grandchildren — and later were joined by my Mom (88) and Dad (92) — it was a sweet time to reflect on the many ways the Lord has blessed us.
Not just in the past year, although certainly in the last year.
We're thankful to him and for you!
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